Belgium game switched from Brussels after terror attack

Belgium football team's friendly match against Portugal will go ahead after all, after it was agreed to move the fixture from Brussels to Leiria, in Portugal.

The game had been due to take place at the King Baudouin Stadium on 29 March, but was called off after the terror attacks on Tuesday that left more than 30 people dead.

It appeared the match would become the second consecutive Belgium game to be cancelled in the wake of an atrocity, until Portugal's football association offered an alternate venue.

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In November, the team were forced to call off their game against Spain after the terror attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people and led to a manhunt in Brussels that only ended with the arrest of Salah Abdeslam last week.

With terror alerts still in place across the country following the latest atrocity, the Royal Belgian Football Association said it was impossible "in these difficult times to allow mass events to take place safely". However, it agreed to relocate the game and said it was grateful for "the availability, flexibility and solutions offered by the Portuguese Federation".

After cancelling training on Tuesday, the Belgium team was due to train behind closed doors at the King Baudouin Stadium.

"Meanwhile, Netherlands' match against France in Amsterdam - 108 miles away from Brussels - will go ahead as planned on Friday," says the BBC.

Belgium football team cancels training after Brussels attack

23 March

Belgium's national football team called off training in the wake of the Brussels terror attacks and next week's game against Portugal could now be in doubt.

"Football is not important today," said the Royal Belgian Football Association.

The team have not played since 13 November, the day of the Paris atrocities. Their scheduled clash with Spain four days later was cancelled for security reasons following a series of raids in the Belgian capital.

Now, with the city once again on lockdown after the triple bomb attack that has killed more than 20 people, the team's next fixture has been "plunged into serious doubt", reports the Daily Mirror.

Members of the Belgium squad, including Premier League players Toby Alderweireld, Simon Mignolet and Thibaut Courtois, took to Twitter to express their shock and sorrow as news of the latest attacks broke. Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen said he could not believe he was "reading these things again".

Belgium are the number-one ranked team in the world and favourite for the Euro 2016 tournament, scheduled to be held in France this summer, although the security situation in the two countries has cast a shadow over both the Belgian team and the entire tournament.